Table 1. Baseline clinical and laboratory features of participants (n=103).
| Characteristics* | ||
|---|---|---|
| Female gender, n (%) | 41 | (40) |
| Age, median (IQR), years | 76 | (68–82) |
| Smoking status, n (%) | ||
| Never smoked | 62 | (60) |
| Former smoker | 34 | (33) |
| Current smoker | 7 | (6.8) |
| Alcohol use disorders, n (%) | 14 | (14) |
| Occupational exposure to chemicals, n (%) | 3 | (2.9) |
| History of haematological disease, n (%)† | ||
| Lymphoproliferative syndrome | 2 | (1.9) |
| Multiple myeloma | 1 | (1.0) |
| Other | 2 | (1.9) |
| History of immunosuppressive or biological therapy, n (%) | 8 | (7.7) |
| Haemoglobin, median (IQR), g/L | 105 | (92–115) |
| Platelet, median (IQR), ×109/L | 136 | (83–216) |
| White cell count, median (IQR), ×109/L | 4.7 | (3.3–6.9) |
| ANC, median (IQR), ×109/L | 2.9 | (1.9–4.4) |
| Lymphocytes, median (IQR), ×109/L | 1.2 | (0.8–1.7) |
| Monocytes, median (IQR), ×109/L | 0.4 | (0.3–0.6) |
| Reticulocytes, median (IQR), ×109/L | 72 | (48–97) |
| Creatinine, median (IQR), µmol/L | 77 | (58–107) |
| Blood urea nitrogen, median (IQR), µmol/L | 6.9 | (5.1–11) |
| Bilirubin, median (IQR), µmol/L | 11 | (7–17) |
| AST, median (IQR), IU/L | 25 | (18–34) |
| ALT, median (IQR), IU/L | 22 | (15–29) |
| Gamma-glutamyltransferase, median (IQR), IU/L | 44 | (21–80) |
| Alkaline phosphatase, median (IQR), IU/L | 76 | (60–113) |
| Serum folic acid, median (IQR), ng/mL | 9.1 | (6.6–15) |
| Serum B12 vitamin, median (IQR), pg/mL | 473 | (361–733) |
| TSH, median (IQR), mIU/L | 1.63 | (1.06–2.35) |
| Haptoglobin, median (IQR), g/L | 1.19 | (0.64–1.76) |
| Ferritin, median (IQR), ng/mL | 219 | (97–505) |
| C reactive protein, median (IQR), mg/L | 0 | (0–15) |
*
Values were missing for blood urea nitrogen (n=2), bilirubin (n=2), alkaline phosphatase (n=1), gamma-glutamyltransferase (n=1), serum folic acid (n=2), TSH (n=1) and C reactive protein (n=1) concentration.
†
No patient reported history of acute leukaemia, myeloproliferative neoplasms, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, familial haematological malignancies, antineoplastic chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Other haematological diseases included minor thalassaemia (n=1) and haemochromatosis (n=1).
ALT, alanine aminotransferase; ANC, absolute neutrophil count; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; TSH, thyroid-stimulating hormone.